Lewis,
I put a V6 in my Bugeye! Do I care? Next time you see a bright red
Bugeye whizz by with the driver grinning wider than the grille on the
front of the car, you'll know it's me. Have fun with your Spit--go for
the extra power. While the '63 is fairly rare, is it worth it to you to
sacrifice the fun and novelty (you should see the reaction to my Bugeye)
for a concours correct car? Is that what you want? I used to be
concerned with "correctness" on my previous LBC's, but when it came down
to performance, I was disappointed. Then the Bugeye came
along...someone stripped it and the anemic 948cc engine was long gone.
The car could NEVER be concours-correct now, right? SO, very carefully
I transplanted a 231 Buick, a Chevy turbo 350 trans, and a narrowed Ford
9" rear. The only body modification is a small hood scoop to conceal
the Holley four-barrel carb that pokes just slightly thru the bonnet.
Otherwise the car looks stock (with much larger tires) but runs like
HELL!
I have been looking for a basket MK1 Spit to do a similar conversion,
and envy you for having one to do what you wish to. The purists will
tell you not to "butcher" your car if it is complete and
numbers-matching. But, like my Bugeye, it is not really that valuable
of a car to restore to concours level. HAVE FUN!!! And the next time a
purist scoffs at your "butchered" car, park it next to his and have both
bonnets raised. I dare him to watch the number of people that admire,
ask, and ponder your Spit over his. His is correct, but yours is
"special."
--
Harris
'59 Bugeye Sprite
Buick V6 powered!
|